Early 1970’s tractor with Perkins 4 cylinder diesel. A few days ago it started easy and ran great, as it always has. After about a minute it shut down. No sputtering, shut down as if someone had pulled the shut off knob. I changed the fuel filters. It is getting fuel to the Injector bleed plugs when I manually pump the primary pump. When I crack the lines at the injectors and crank the engine, no fuel. Is this likely a bad injector pump? Is there anything else I should look into?
Stopped up return line but I would expect it to start and then shut off.
I opened the return line at the injector pump and got fuel when I pump the primary. No different if I crank the engine. I am guessing that is back flowing from the filter side which would mean the line isn’t plugged. When I pump the primary pump manually I feel resistance like it is pumping the first few pumps but then the resistance goes away after a few pumps. Not sure if that is normal. It’s getting enough fuel to the injector pump that I would think It would pump some to the injectors. Or the engine would at least sputter. But it was a sudden shut down and not a sputter since.
So it has a mechanical pull shut down? I think there is a bleed screw on the side of the pump housing. Open that and get fuel coming out of that. Then crank it and get fuel coming out the injector lines. If the fuel supply got stopped up somehow it should restart now. No fuel at injectors equals a bad injector pump to me. The change in pressure on the hand pump is normal as it builds pressure. If the cam lobe is up for the pump the hand lever will not function. Have to turn the engine some.
The pumpguysc should be along shortly. You could have crap in the tank blocking the fuel flow. Lift pump could be going too. In my experience diesels don't really sputter, they either run or they don't. Gas engines can sputter and fire and not start. A bad injector could maybe sputter but it sounds like something blocked your fuel supply or you have an air leak.
Yes it has a mechanical pull shut down. There are two bleed plugs on the side of the injector pump. Both are getting fuel from the primary pump with no air bubbles.
If u loosen the bleed screw by the name plate & work the hand primer, it squirts a mile.?? BUT when u loosen it & spin the engine, nothing comes out.?? THATS not good.. It means the inside of the pump isnt turning..Seized.. Your 1st explanation described it perfectly.. shut off like u turned the key off.. If u REALLY want to verify it.. take off the inlet line & fitting, unless the fitting is straight up.. Fill the inlet w fuel & spin the engine to see if it gets sucked down.. if it doesnt, it means the pump is seized.. OR u can take the back end plate off the pump.. 4-5/16 screws.. then BUMP the starter to see if the middle of the pump spins/moves.. if no.. its seized.. If u want me to estimate it, get the pump #'s off the name plate.. contact me direct..
I wouldn’t say it squirts a mile but it does squirt a little. When I turn the engine it squirts about the same as it does when I pump the primary pump. I am guessing that pressure is coming from the engine pumping the primary pump. I took the plate off the injector pump that is next to the bleeder screws. That was 2 5/16 screws. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting so much fuel to gush out. With that open it kept continuously draining. I am guessing that is gravity flow from the fuel tank that is above the engine. Everything that I can see inside is turning when I crank the engine. I put the plate back on, cracked the lower bleed screw. It looks like it would bleed itself just from gravity flow but definitely fills faster when I pump the primary. Once the bubbles stopped I did the same to the upper bleed screw. Still no fuel to the injectors. I thought I would try removing the injector lines where they come off the injector pump. No fuel at all when I crank except for the lowest one dribbled a little. How long should I expect to crank before I would see fuel coming out the injector lines?
Removing the SIDE COVER wont tell u a thing.. thats why I didnt mention it as a diagnostic move.. RE-READ post # 7..
Ok wrong plate. I see now maybe the round plate that includes the inlet comes off with the 4 screws holding it in with 2 separate plates. I just now did your fuel level test instead with the inlet line off. It is not pulling fuel down. The fuel level does not change at all when I turn the engine.
I'm sorry for your loss, contact thepumpguy, or similar.
Thank you for your condolences. it was a rough one. I have been in email contact with thepumpguy.
Those Romanian inj. pumps they sell on the web are killing my business.. BRAND NEW pump w no core 495.00.!!! W free shipping.!! I can match that all day long, but not w a seized head & rotor..
I am finally getting back to this machine. I was going to take the injectors out to have them tested before I install the new Injector pump. I was told a bad injector can cease a pump. I am wondering, since I have them out should I just replace them? I could replace all of them for about $200 total. They are very old, how often do injectors go bad?
An inj WILL seize a pump, QUICK. Did u just buy a pump off the web.?? Cuz a fuel shop will cut apart your old head & tell u what caused the seizure in the 1’st place.. assuming it was seized.. Plugged inj., water in fuel, mechanical misalignment..you can probably get YOUR INJECTORS rebuilt for about the same price.? That way, you’ll know they have the correct parts in them.. unlike buying them off a website.. I can’t count how many times I’ve redone brand new injectors that the customer sent me.. They had the wrong tips in them and they were set to the wrong pressure.. “but the website said they were for my engine”.. If u see a website that has that injector listed along w 15 other engines that it’s supposed to fit, RUN..
Yes I ordered the pump online. The replacement has the same brand and numbers on it so hopefully that will be fine. What you say about websites saying injectors fitting 15 engines is the case. I was having difficulty confirming and cross-referencing numbers. You make a good argument for having these ones rebuilt.